Wednesday 6 February 1666/67

Up, lying a little long in bed, and by water to White Hall, and there find the Duke of York gone out, he being in haste to go to the Parliament, and so all my Brethren were gone to the office too. So I to Sir Ph. Warwicke’s about my Tangier business, and then to Westminster Hall, and walked up and down, and hear that the Prince do still rest well by day and night, and out of pain; so as great hopes are conceived of him: though I did meet Dr. Clerke and Mr. Pierce, and they do say they believe he will not recover it, they supposing that his whole head within is eaten by this corruption, which appeared in this piece of the inner table. Up to the Parliament door, and there discoursed with Roger Pepys, who goes out of town this week, the Parliament rising this week also. So down to the Hall and there spied Betty Michell, and so I sent for burnt wine to Mrs. Michell’s, and there did drink with the twomothers, and by that means with Betty, poor girle, whom I love with all my heart. And God forgive me, it did make me stay longer and hover all the morning up and down the Hall to ‘busquer occasions para ambulare con elle. But ego ne pouvoir’. So home by water and to dinner, and then to the office, where we sat upon Denis Gawden’s accounts, and before night I rose and by water to White Hall, to attend the Council; but they sat not to-day. So to Sir W. Coventry’s chamber, and find him within, and with a letter from the Downes in his hands, telling the loss of the St. Patricke coming from Harwich in her way to Portsmouth; and would needs chase two ships (she having the Malago fire-ship in company) which from English colours put up Dutch, and he would clap on board the Vice-Admirall; and after long dispute the Admirall comes on the other side of him, and both together took him. Our fire-ship (Seely) not coming in to fire all three, but come away, leaving her in their possession, and carried away by them: a ship built at Bristoll the last year, of fifty guns and upwards, and a most excellent good ship. This made him very melancholy. I to talk of our wants of money, but I do find that he is not pleased with that discourse, but grieves to hear it, and do seem to think that Sir G. Carteret do not mind the getting of money with the same good cheer that he did heretofore, nor do I think he hath the same reason. Thence to Westminster Hall, thinking to see Betty Michell, she staying there all night, and had hopes to get her out alone, but missed, and so away by coach home, and to Sir W. Batten’s, to tell him my bad news, and then to the office, and home to supper, where Mrs. Hewer was, and after supper and she gone, W. Hewer talking with me very late of the ill manner of Sir G. Carteret’s accounts being kept, and in what a sad condition he would be if either Fenn or Wayth should break or die, and am resolved to take some time to tell Sir G. Carteret or my Lady of it, I do love them so well and their family. So to bed, my pain pretty well gone.

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The Royal Society today at Arundel House — from the Hooke Folio Online

Feb: 6. 1666[/67]. the curator [ mr Hooke ] produced a new kind of Lamp seruing to supply the oyle in due quantity soe tht as it wasts there may not rise too much or too Little. by a weight that shall always counterpoyse the oyle the figure being an half cylinder. the Discription & demonstration was orderd to be brought in by the curator as soon as conueniently he could. orderd likewise that this vessell should be soe prepared for the next meeting, that it might actually serue for a Lamp as it was designed

The expt. for raysing a weight by the force of gunpowder was tryed. But the weight was thrown off instead of being Raised. It was order that the curator shall think of a way to make it succeed as also that he should prosecute theexpts. of winding vp a spring by the same weigh way. Sr R Moray. about ordering that the spring might not be broke by the powder. mr Boyle to try powder to make it raise water. the strengh of gunpowder tryed by the weight of water it will expelled out of the Instrument a vessell by wch. the strength of differing powder might be expelled examined. Dr. Wren suggested that this Expt. might be tryed by laying wth in a pair of bellows wth a weight vpon it a Serpentine Line of powder to make it /fire/ only by wth such a degree of velocity that It shall break nothing adding that if the concussion be made too quick for the Vibration of parts the body tryed must break. the same affirmed that if he might know how much gunpowder expands he would tell what weight it Raised. (powder expansion to be expansion by examined it was orderd that the Curator should consider of & draw vp such expts as might be proper to examine the said Expansion

"...though I did meet Dr. Clerke and Mr. Pierce, and they do say they believe he will not recover it, they supposing that his whole head within is eaten by this corruption, which appeared in this piece of the inner table."

Must be an interesting spate of Prince Rupert jokes making the rounds of London right now...

Sam, not meaning to cast doubt upon your friend James' talents as a surgeon, but...

"So to bed, my pain pretty well gone." It's great to take a day off when one's testicle hurts, not for lack of trying though. Sam tries twice today to hook up with Betty to no avail. She was a lot more eager to comply yesterday after he had bought her a few things. I too am amazed that Betty gave him a good groping right in front of his wife. But today, even with the wine, she was not available for his pleasure.

This proving of powder by Hooke is vital importance to ordinance, and in our times led in part, at Aberdeen Proving Grounds, to ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator & Calculator), first digital computer and to systems analysis.

"...what a sad condition he would be if either Fenn or Wayth should break or die..."

"Break" meaning I take it that Carteret has a financial dependence on them similar to that on smaller scale with Sandwich and his loan from Sam? In other words as we have seen hinted at and discussed throughout the Diary, on one hand the great borrow multiple small-to-large sums often from their employees and servants for operating expenses while hoping the King/Parliament/commercial ventures will at some point provide promised funds, while the said employees and servants hope to profit on the interest. On the other, it sounds like the employees are also investing the great one's real or potential (early version of the concept of the margin?) for them under their own name...Taking much of the risk themselves though the whole structure ends up having a pretty weak base. One small man falls and the collapse brings down the whole structure.

RG, L&M confirm that Carteret was tapping the credit lines of his main subordinates , Fenn and Wayth, to supplement his own. This accounting disorder will be "criticised" (sic) by the Brooke House Committee that will be appointed this coming December to investigate the financing of the war. (A noble's hands will be slapped.)

Interesting that so shrewd a fellow as Carteret should leave himself so much at the mercy of subordinates. Still, they would suffer far worse (from ruin to imprisonment to floating in the Thames) than he unless very careful and very well provided for far, far away.

Sorry for the late entry."It’s great to take a day off when one’s testicle hurts, not for lack of trying though"

May I remind that Samuel suffers from stones in his urinary system, and every time a small stone interferes with one of his kidneys or ureters or uretra he may get pain in the testicle from the side where the stone is stucked.He was operated years ago but still will have to live with it (or wait till ultrasound is discovered...)